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Abstract

Documentary marketing has to address the information needs of the users in a manner that is cost-effective not only for them but also for the institution. To do this, a set of technical tools, known as Marketing- Mix, need to be used. These tools include the Product, Price, Distribution and  Communication. Within the set of tools used for the Product, we find the BCG matrix (Boston Consulting Group), a tool aimed at the management of the product on the basis of where it is positioned in the market.
The objective of this paper is to propose a BCG matrix for the management of a nursing periodic publication in our market sector.
The BCG matrix is constructed using two variables: Market Growth and the Market Share, which have been operationalised as Average Annual Growth in the number of subscriptions for three nursing magazines (Rol de Enfermería, Metas de Enfermería y Nursing) over the last five years and Average Present Circulation of the three publications mentioned. Data provided by the "Oficina para el Control de la Difusión" (OJD), a non-profit-making organization whose objective is to provide useful and timely information about the circulation of printed media for advertisers, advertising agencies, publishers and general use.
The BCG matrix can be constituted as an essential tool for the management of publications. Having clari-fied the product's position, strategies can be established with a view to helping or promoting a better positioning of the product in the market.

Introduction

     Periodic publications constitute nowadays one of the most used information sources in any scientific discipline. This fact is directly related to several conditions: the need of knowledge updates, the validity with which this medium provides the information, as well as the bigger accessibility to knowledge, especially through the access databases in Internet which index scientific publications both on paper or electronic support.
     Scientific literature has experienced an exponential growth, already described by Price in 1956 (quoted by López López P.).¹ For example the Medline database, one of the most used databases in the field of Health Sciences, contains almost 12 millions registrations and it indexes more than 520.000 annual references. CINHAL, another more specific database for the nursing discipline, contains more than 800.000 registrations and it indexes more than 80.000 new references each year.² At this moment, the already mentioned Medline database includes almost 32.000 indexed journal titles³, and the CINHAL database features almost 1200⁴. Even if this documental explosion is unambiguous, the fact that not all the publications which see the light manage to keep in the publishing market must be underlined. As an example referred to our country and particularly referred to our discipline, Nursing, we can point at a research made by Gálvez Toro⁵. It shows up that at the moment, 59 out of the 90 nursery publications appeared in the last 22 years and contemplated in the Index Foundation Electronic Catalogue or Periodic Publications, keep alive.  
     It is well known that nowadays it is necessary to apply marketing techniques for a product to keep in the market, no matter which kind of product we refer to. The marketing is defined as "the set of efforts, researches, and techniques that promote the creation and distribution of a product obtaining a better ecomic profit value, based on a better knowledge of the customer needs and satisfactions" (definition provided by the Spanish Marketing Federation). In particular, the documentary marketing is in charge of satisfying the informative needs of the users, in a way being at the same time profitable for them and for the centre. To achieve this objective a set of technical tools known as the Marketing Mix (MK-Mix) must be used. Those tools cover the Product, the Price, the Distribution and the Communication^6,7. The BCG (Boston Consulting Group) matrix is found within the tools addressed to the Product. This matrix is oriented towards the product management, based on its situation inside the market.  Being also known as growth-participation matrix, it arises during the 60's in last century as one of the techniques supplying a reference framework to classify the different products of an enterprise, and to determinate their implications related to the allocation of resources^8,9. The aim of the present article is to propose a BCG matrix for the management of a nursing periodic publication within the Spanish market.

BCG Matrix Development
     
     N.B.: The data employed in the situation under analysis depend on the print run registered, according to the Circulation Audit Office (OJD, "Oficina de Justificación de la difusión" in Spain). Control Record.

Operational definition of the variables. The BCG matrix is built using two variables: the Relative Market Rate (internal reference - graphically represented in the abscissa axis) and the Market Growth (external reference - graphically represented in the ordinate axis).
     Relative Market Rate (RMR): the average print run is three nursing periodic publications (Nursing Role, Nursing Goals and Nursing).
     The criteria used to choose the three nursing publications mentioned has been the population target towards which they are addressed, the contents tackled and the circulation achieved (according to the average print run per issue).
     - Rol de Enfermería: with an average annual print run of 13.605 copies in 2002
     - Metas de Enfermería: with an average annual print run of 16.286 copies in 2002
     - Nursing, Spanish edition: with an average annual print run of 7.048 copies in 2002.

The three mentioned journals are generalist and tackle any kind of nursing contents with national distribution.
     Market Growth (MG): the average annual increase in the number of subscriptions to the cited journal during the last five years. (Table1).
     Interpretation of the matrix. Both indicators, RMR and MG, operate like reference parameters in the matrix determining four possible product situations: "questionable or difficult child", "star", "dairy cow" and "dog"^7,10. (Figure 1).
     - Product "questionable": it indicates a limited but increasing market share. It coincides with the product launch and therefore it requires and special attention.
     - Product "star": it indicates a bigger market share and it grows rapidly. It permits the benefits reinvestment. It seems that the marketing is not so important during this stage, but competitors might enter.
     - Product "diary cow": it corresponds to a stable market without growth. Expenses decrease and this fact might keep the generation of high benefits. This high profitability could attract competitors.
     - Product "dog": a decrease of the market share exists, and the product is under the risk of being taken over by a bigger company.
     The different situations described are complemented with the analysis of the product's Life Cycle⁷ (figure 2) that includes four possible scenarios:
     - Launch: it consists of the innovation, exploration and product's development. There is little growth and the consumers have an innovative profile. The products "questionable" could fit in this scenario.
     - Expansion: the demand increases substantially and many competitors enter the scene. This product could be called "star" product.
     - Saturation: a deceleration takes place. This situation would correspond to the product "dairy cow".
     - Decline: the market is saturated. The product can then be classified as "dog" product.

Simulation of a new product's entry into the market. It could be stated that the new product would enter a market which is at the end of its launch stage and at the beginning of its growth or expansion phase. The market can be described as such since the tendency in the number of subscribers (graphic 1) shows that the amount of nurses subscribed to scientific journals has increased slowly from 1998 until now. A scene of competitor nursing publication starts to arise, although still there are only a few of them in similar conditions to compete (in terms of population target and tackled contents). The essential ones are: Metas de Enfermería, Rol de Enfermería and Nursing Spanish edition.
     According to the life cycle referred to in the former paragraph it is very important to focus in the product, making it attractive for the market share target. In order to do this, it is crucial to count on well defined characteristics that underline the specificity and added value of the product compared to those of the competitors. The BCG matrix representation of a perfect new product evolution would be defined as such in which the product starts its track as "questionable", for becoming "star" afterwards and for consolidating later as "dairy cow" product. Once this situation is achieved, it would be highly recommendable to reinvest the benefits for the product not to enter the decline phase ("dog" product) (figure 3).
     On the other hand and in a parallel manner, communication strategies to promote the new publication should be developed when launching the product into the market. A combined pull-push strategy will be convenient (PhD. Thesis by Juan Carlos Pérez Espinosa; Department of Biblioteconomy and Documentation of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid; "Documentary Marketing: Theory and Praxis of the application of marketing techniques to the documentary centers", 1999).
     PUSH strategy: (The product is pushed into the distribution channel). Campaigns to promote the new product will be carried out not only in places such as University Nursing Schools or Departments of Continuing Education at hospitals, but also in Primary Care Management Centers and similar, taking advantage as well of the scientific events that could take place (congresses, tutorials, symposia, etc.)
     PULL strategy: (The distribution channel is pulled using advertising techniques). The publication is distributed in prestigious databases in the field of Nursing and Health Sciences, both of national and international scope.
     - CUIDEN Fundación Index Database: it is interesting to note that such Foundation, born in 1994, is at the moment the most important organization for the diffusion of the nursing scientific production in our country¹⁰.
     - BDIE Database (Health Institute Carlos III - Fundación Index).
     - CINAHL Database (Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature).
     - USA National Medicine Library Database: MEDLINE.
     - Advertisement of the journal in anchor sites and web pages specialized in Nursing
     - OJD Control petition.
     - Registration in the Professional Press Association  -APP-  (which at the same time belongs to the International Professional Press Federation- FIPP) 

Final remarks

     The BCG matrix can become the basic tool for managing publications, since it permits the establishment of strategies to help to achieve a better position of the product in the market once its situation has been determinated.
     When facing the creation and launching of a new product, it must be taken into account the fact that situations not foreseen in the analysis or creation project might take place. Even if the proposed tool (BCG Matrix) gives valuable information for the product management, we must be prepared for this kind of contingencies in order to activate compensation mechanisms during difficult or critical moments. Without any doubt, this need demands from the company's strategic plan to contemplate a contingent approach. Such approach will help to Manage the Change leaning on the systematic analysis of Weaknesses, Threats, Strengths and Opportunities (WTSO) ¹¹.      

References

1. López López P. Bibliometría: la medida de la información. En: López Yepes J (coord.). Manual de in-formación y Documentación. Madrid: Pirámide, 1996. p. 488-411.
2. Ovid. Disponible en: https://www.ovid.com/site/ catalog/Catalog_DataBase.jsp?top=2&mid=3& bot-tom=7&subsection=10 http [consultada el 26 de enero de 2004]. Ovid Technologies; 2003©.
3. Base de datos Medline. Disponible en:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/citmatch_help.html#JournalLists  [fecha de actualización 19 de junio de 2003].
4. Base de datos CINAHL. Disponible en:  https://www.cinahl.com/library/library.htm [fecha de actuali-zación 7 de enero de 2004].
5. Gálvez Toro A. Publicaciones de Enfermería en España. Rol de Enfermería, 2001; 24: 35-39.
6. Ward Michael. 50 técnicas innovadoras de managment. Cómo gestionar la organización y la empresa, el marketing, los recursos y el personal. Barcelona: Editorial de Vecchi; 1999.
7. Maqueda Lafuente FJ. Cómo crear y desarrollar una empresa. Planificación y control de las actividades. Bilbao: Deusto; 1990.
8. BCG History. Disponible en: www.bcg.com/ this_is_bcg/bcg_history [con acceso el 27 de enero de 2004].
9. Ayala Ruiz LE, Arias Amaya R. La matriz de Crecimiento-Participación. Disponible en: www.3w3search.com/Edu/Merc/Es/GMerc058.htm [con acceso el 27 de enero de 2004]. 1999-2003©.
10. Gálvez Toro A, Poyato Huertas E. Index: 10 años de documentación enfermera en España. Index 1998; 20-21:11-15.
11. Gimbert Xavier. El enfoque estratégico en la empresa. Principios y esquemas clásicos. Bilbao: Deusto; 1998.

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